Manufacturing Economy Monitor

Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Products Manufacturing in California

Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Products manufacturing added $35.0B of value to California's economy in 2025, down 3.0% year over year. That ranks California 1st of 50 states and DC for this industry. It is 9% of California's manufacturing output. Nationally, food, beverage, and tobacco products is a $384B industry (the 2nd-largest of the 19 manufacturing subsectors), per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Output and rank

  • Value added: $35.0B in 2025, #1 of 50 states and DC for this industry.
  • Growth: -3% year over year.
  • Share of California's manufacturing: 9% of the state's total manufacturing value added.
  • National context: food, beverage, and tobacco products is a $384B industry nationally, #2 of the 19 manufacturing subsectors (-1.6% year over year).
  • Classification: nondurable goods manufacturing (BEA subsector 311FT).

Frequently asked questions

  • How big is the food, beverage, and tobacco products industry in California? Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Products added $35.0B of value in California in 2025, ranking the state 1st of 50 states and DC for this industry, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.
  • Is food, beverage, and tobacco products growing in California? California's food, beverage, and tobacco products output shrank 3.0% year over year to 2025. The chart above traces the full annual series since 1997.
  • What share of California's manufacturing is food, beverage, and tobacco products? Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Products is 9% of California's total manufacturing value added in 2025, per BEA state GDP-by-industry data.

About this data

  • Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (public domain). National quarterly values are seasonally adjusted annual rates. Corporate-profit industry detail reflects inventory valuation adjustment without capital consumption adjustment, per NIPA table 6.16D conventions.

Last reviewed 2026-10-01.